OkayStudio Offices Unite for Most Ambitious VFX Project to Date

As the saying goes, when something looks effortless, it usually means a tremendous amount of effort went into making it that way. That was certainly the case with the new Kia campaign by Innocean Berlin, RadicalMedia and OkayStudio. The spots, which feature the car in a range of different settings, needed to feel globally relatable, so extensive VFX was used to homogenise the surroundings and conceal any element attainable to any specific country. This involved environment rebuilds and heavy changes to the minutiae of the locations that might not be immediately visible to the naked eye. But that wasn’t the only challenge for OkayStudio when taking on the project to assure creative standards were met. Think cross-border collaboration, high-speed timelines, and over 100 VFX shots, and you’ll start to get a sense of the amount of work (and heart) that had to go into this job.

From transforming left-hand drive to right, removing drone reflections, fixing road markings, and even mirroring petrol tanks, this project demanded the full force of OkayStudio’s compositing, editing, and VFX teams. Using Autodesk Flame, 3D Equalizer, and a healthy dose of caffeine, the artists rebuilt environments, cleaned frames, and delivered a final product that rolled off the line cleaner than the car itself. One of the biggest assets used by the team to face the challenges was AI-powered tools, which helped streamline rotoscoping and slap comps. However, the full force of this project could have only been pulled off by humans – more specifically, a team of very talented ones.

"Several shots required in-camera element removal or repair. For instance, we had to fix damaged road barriers and remove rocks and gravel along the roadside, particularly in the mountain range sequences. These shots were especially challenging due to their dynamic camera moves – since the unwanted elements moved throughout the entire frame, we didn’t have the luxury of sending them to CG." says lead VFX artist, Mark Purser.

With two campaigns for the same brand running simultaneously in-studio (Sportage and Soundscapes), OkayStudio converted their Berlin space into the creative HQ for all creatives involved, hosting the directors and agency for a full month of hands-on collaboration, from edit to grade to VFX. According to the team, that was the only possible way to fully understand what the client wanted from the project (especially for the VFX that was done remotely) and to successfully deliver assets for cinema, online, DOOH, and social. 

RadicalMedia producer Dennis Czaja comments “Streamlining all resources on this job in one power house was definitely the key to produce this massive campaign and maintain a high standard throughout. Highest gratitude and props towards OkayStudio for managing all pipelines and delivering on point!”

This multi-disciplinary effort from OkayStudio included Jo Lewandowska on edit, Katie Dymmock on grade, VFX led by Mark Purser with OkayStudio’s VFX team made up by in-house Faris Hallaq plus Paul Hannaford, Lem Lawrence and Stretch Russell, all steered by senior producers Athene Xenia Aristocleous and Neuma Llusiá dos Santos.

Mark Purser said, "As a team we all put so much preparation into it. It was four months in total where we had to keep a lot of plates spinning all together. From daily reviews, to managing very high expectations and maintaining the highest standard of VFX; whilst also trying to respect the creative process for each department. Overall, it was an incredible example of the team work we hold dear at OkayStudio".